As is known, a wide variety of materials can be used as an archery target. However, the chosen material must allow the arrow to enter the target but not fully penetrate the target. Essentially, the target must stop the arrow without damaging the arrow while presenting the user with a mark or other visual element to aim toward and gauge one's aim. In this respect, archery arrows are reusable and, therefore, it is advantageous that arrows shot into the targets are not damaged.
Over the years, natural products, such as hay or straw, have been used as archery targets. This includes use of hay or straw as the portion of the target that stops the arrow. A printed target can be placed over the straw to produce the mark or other visual target for aiming. While these natural materials can be used to stop arrows, exposure to the environment will quickly deteriorate and weaken the natural material, and arrows can be difficult to remove from this type of material. Further, the penetration by the arrow quickly breaks down the structure of the material reducing the stopping characteristics of the natural material. As can be appreciated, an arrow that substantially penetrates the stopping material can be difficult to remove and may need to be removed from the backside of the target.
In order to overcome the problems with natural materials, manmade materials have been used to replace the natural material discussed above. The manmade material can be weather resistant and can effectively stop the arrow. However, prior art targets utilizing manmade materials also breakdown too quickly and can damage the arrow. Layered materials have been found to fray on the edges and allow moisture to penetrate the layers. This results in trapped moisture within the target that can reduce the effectiveness of the target and which causes the arrows to be exposed to excessive moisture. As can be appreciated, a wet arrow must be dried before it is shot a second time.
Another problem with prior art targets is heightened probability of damaging the arrow and/or the heightened probability of target failure. In this respect, no mater what material is used, the material must form a stable target area. Natural materials, such as hay bails, utilize twine as a binder to hold the hay or straw together. Manmade materials still need a binder to hold the layers together. Further, the binder should be configured in a way that it does not damage the arrow. As a result, there are tradeoffs between binders with superior structural characteristics and binders that will yield to an arrow so that the arrow is not damaged if the arrow strikes the binder. Prior art targets have not achieved the optimal balance between structural characteristics and minimal arrow damage.
Even yet another problem with prior art targets is stability. In this respect, an arrow traveling at high speeds has a significant amount of momentum. This momentum impacts that target when the arrow strikes the target. The target must be capable of remaining substantially stationary upon impact, or the user must realign the target if the target moves and/or tips over. While a lightweight target may be easier to move, it can easily tip over and can rotate upon impact by the arrow.